Fla. Democrats hope to have say in state issues

Texting while driving, airboat safety, kids in hot cars, the opioid crisis — just a few of the issues local Democratic lawmakers hope to tackle in the upcoming legislative session.

South Florida may be heavily Democratic, but up in Tallahassee, Democrats are a small minority. Still, at a meeting of the Democratic Club of Boca Raton and Delray Beach on Tuesday night, local lawmakers highlighted a number of issues in which Democrats can make changes at the state level.

Almost 100 Democratic activists — a significant turnout for August in a nonelection year — heard what might happen in the upcoming legislative session, which begins in January.

After University of Miami graduate Ellie Goldenberg died in an airboat accident just a day after graduating, state Rep. Joseph Abruzzo, D-Boynton Beach, vowed to do something to regulate airboat operators.

“The bottom line is they’re unregulated. You can basically go operate an airboat with no tests, no licensing, no anything,” said Abruzzo, who had attended Goldenberg’s graduation ceremony because a family member graduated at the same time. “We are going to take the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission’s lead and try to strengthen the rules on our books for airboat operators.”

Abruzzo also intends to fill bills to reinstitute the state drug czar, a position that was ended in 2011, and expand a property tax break for the families of soldiers killed in combat to include not just spouses but also parents of soldiers who still lived at home.

The property tax break for spouses was approved by voters as a constitutional amendment in 2014.

“One thing we noticed is that, unfortunately, those who have given their lives are usually young adults — 18, 19, 20, 21 years old,” he said. “Many live at home with their parents.”

Abruzzo also cited promoting beach renourishment money and opposing gun rights expansions as key issues in the upcoming session.

State Sen. Kevin Rader, D-Delray Beach, said his one chief issue would be the opioid crisis.

“This is what I plan on doing my whole time,” Rader said, calling it “the only issue.”

Rader intends to call for $100 million in funding to fight the opioid crisis. He did the same during budget debates in this year’s session, but finally withdrew his amendment under pressure. This year, he said, will not be a repeat.

“My goal this year is I’m not going to take it down, but I think it’s going to be a little more comprehensive,” he said.

State Rep. Emily Slosberg, D-Boca Raton, was unable to make the meeting, but her legislative aide, Deniz Ozaltin, said that texting while driving and removing the 15-minute time limit in which parents can legally leave children in parked cars would be top issues.

“Emily Slosberg is trying to remove that time limit so that you cannot leave your child in a car,” Ozaltin said.

dsweeney@SunSentinel .com or 954-356-4605.